Balto (1995)
Balto is a 1995 American live-action/animated epic drama adventure film directed by Simon Wells. The film is loosely based on a true story about the dog of the same name who helped save children from the diphtheria epidemic in the 1925 serum run to Nome Plot The movie starts in New York City, where an elderly woman, her granddaughter (Lola Bates-Campbell) and her Siberian Husky, Blaze, are walking through Central Park, looking for a memorial statue. As they seat themselves for a rest, the grandmother (Miriam Margoyles) tells a the most randomness story on the whole damn universe. So the story flips from live action to animation (you couldve just done one of those but since the producers were wasting their damn money; just switch it) Ok so the story goes back to the winter of 1925 in Nome, Alaska. Balto (Kevin Bacon), a young wolfdog, lives in an abandoned ship (probably the ship from the little mermaid since were not gonna get any answers) on the outskirts of Nome with his adoptive father, a Russian snow goose named Boris (Bob Hoskins) and two polar bears, Muk and Luk (Phil Collins). Being half-wolf, Balto is treated like shit by dogs and humans alike. His only friends in town are a red husky named Jenna (Bridget Fonda)-- whom Balto has the hots for-- and her owner, Rosy (Juliette Brewer). He is frequently challenged by the town's favorite (more like asshole) sled dog, Steele (Voiced by one of the things that makes this flim better, Jim Cummings), a fierce and arrogant Alaskan Malamute with whom he competes so Jenna can fucking like him or not. The evening after the annual dog race, 18 children, including Rosy, are taken to a hospital, apparently feeling from very sick, which worries Jenna. After confirming the diagnosis, the doctor, Curtis Welch sadly informs Rosy's parents that Rosy and the other children have been stricken with diphtheria (obviously this happened so the movie's bullshit plot can happen), and he is out of antitoxin. The local wireless operator relays news of the outbreak and word travels to the territory capital of Juneau, where the governor orders antitoxin to be sent to Nome. However, severe winter weather conditions prevent medicine from being brought by sea or air and the closest rail line from Juneau ends at Nenana, 600 miles east of Nome. A dog race is held to determine the best-fit dogs for a sled dog team to get the medicine. Balto enters and wins, but Steele decides be an asshole and stomps on Balto's paw, which forces him to growl in pain and accidentally bare his wolf teeth in front of the musher, causing the humans to fear that he might turn on the musher due to his wolfdog heritage. Im just gonna assume these people have never seen a wolf before The team departs that night with Steele in the lead and successfully retrieves the medicine, but on the way back conditions worsen and the disoriented team ends up stranded at the base of a steep mountainside slope with the musher knocked unconscious. When word reaches Nome that the sled team is missing, the town prepares for the worst. Balto sets out in search of the sled team. Hey while you do that just leave Steele to rot there). Along with Boris, Muk and Luk. On the way, they are attacked by a fucking huge grizzly bear that legit pops out of nowhere, but Jenna, who followed their mark tracks, intervenes. The bear pursues Balto out onto a frozen lake, where it falls through the ice and drowns, while Muk and Luk dive in to save Balto so this movie can become a Disney film. Jenna is injured in the bear fight and cannot continue. Balto tells Boris and the polar bears to take her back home while he continues on alone; Jenna gives him her bandana and Boris gives him some advice. Balto marks his path by clawing trees, eventually finds the team, but Steele, too much of a selfish fuck to have help, angrily beats the shit out of Balto repeatedly until he loses his balance and falls off a cliff. Balto takes charge of the team, but Steele, being the ingrate that he is, camouflages Balto's markings with fake ones, and they are thrown off the trail again. As a result, Balto gets scared, panics, and runs too fast, causing the medicine to nearly fall over a cliff. While attempting to save the medicine from falling, Balto himself falls. Back in Nome, Jenna is explaining Balto's mission to the other dogs, but they don't believe her. When Steele returns, he claims the entire team, including Balto, is dead; he uses Jenna's bandana as supposed proof. However Jenna sees through his lies and assures Balto will return with the medicine, but the others remain skeptical. Using a trick Balto showed her earlier, she places broken colored glass bottles on the outskirts of town and shines a lantern on them to simulate the lights of an aurora, hoping it will help guide Balto home. Category:Reviews